Field of Application
This invention relates to authenticating and tracking of articles (products, software and the like); and more particularly, to a system, procedure and components for preparing articles for globally and readily accomplishing such tasks.
Description of the Prior Art
Many entities (parties, corporations, partnerships, individuals, associations, etc.) spend considerable amounts, possibly millions, in advertising and other marketing efforts to create, and to generate, good will in and to themselves and their respective articles (products, services and the like). In some cases, further amounts (here again possibly millions) are often spent in gathering, analyzing and utilizing consumer location, demographic and other data to facilitate developing and marketing the articles (products and/or services).
Consumer location, demographic and other related data and consumer contact is important in developing and marketing of products and services. BRANDS are also important and are used by entities in connection with articles (product or products, or service or services), to help consumers (actual or intended purchasers, and/or users) select the particular product(s) and/or service(s) that are provided by a selected entity that the consumer prefers to be the SOURCE (owner, licensee, provider, manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, etc) for a particular product, or service. The BRAND thus distinguishes the selected product, or service, from the products, or services, of competitors that the consumer does not desire to be the provider. BRANDS indicate to consumers that a product, or service, comes from a SOURCE, even if the name of the SOURCE is unknown to the consumer. BRANDS also function to indicate quality and reputation, thus creating good will in the proprietor (owner, SOURCE) of the BRAND and BRANDED product and/or service.
A BRAND (often otherwise sometimes referred to as a trademark, or service mark) may comprise any word, name, phrase, symbol, design or device or any combination of words, names, phrases, symbols, designs or devices which identifies and distinguishes the SOURCE (such as the manufacturer, retailer, provider, etc.) of the goods or services of one entity from those of another entity.
BRAND names represent a valuable asset of an entity (the SOURCE of the BRAND), and are often the focus of great efforts undertaken to police the proper and authorized use of such BRAND names. Despite such efforts, successful BRAND names have been wrongfully exploited for years by unscrupulous parties such as illegal manufacturers and resellers of counterfeit and/or stolen and/or diverted products attempting to hood-wink the public into thinking that the goods and/or services emanate from the true SOURCE. High price luxury type goods in particular have been, and continue to be, subjected to widespread counterfeiting, theft and diversion.
The legitimate use of BRANDS (trademarks and service marks) benefits the consuming public as well as the merchant or manufacturer of a product, or provider of a service. For the merchant or manufacturer, each BRAND may serve as an advertising tool, facilitating repeat sales and the successful marketing of new products and services by the BRAND SOURCE. Individual consumers rely on BRANDS to distinguish among competing products, services and BRAND SOURCES, and to represent a certain level of quality they have come to expect when purchasing products or services with which a particular BRAND is used or emanating from a particular BRAND SOURCE. By protecting BRANDS, several broader goals are furthered as well. BRANDS foster competition and the maintenance of quality by securing to the provider (the BRAND SOURCE) the benefits of good reputation. Protecting BRANDS also serves to guard the public from inadvertent or intentional use of confusing or misleading BRANDS.
The actual lost sales and profits, and loss of taxes to governments, attributed to wrongful activities (counterfeiting, theft, diversion, knock-offs, etc.) is but one aspect of the problem. An often more serious result is the damage done to the good name and reputation of the BRAND owner (SOURCE) especially when inferior counterfeited merchandise is sold as genuine. In an effort to counteract the problem, BRAND name owners often aggressively pursue counterfeiters, and introduce programs intended to eliminate or at least reduce such illegal activities. While some programs have met rather limited short term success, the end rewards to the wrongdoers are often so large that the programs themselves have been copied.
The use of serial numbers to track, and hopefully control, product security has proved helpful for vehicles as VIN (Vehicle Identification) Numbers, and also for product warranty purposes. But, serial numbering alone does not seem to be an effective BRAND source authenticator for an inquirer as they do not have a readily observable indicator that authentication and tracking is available to them or ready access to the identifying database. Systems, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,815 for “Uniform System For Verifying and tracking Articles of Value” and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,064 for “Uniform System For Verifying And Tracking The Title of Articles or Objects of Value” are further examples of complex and expensive product security systems that do not indicate to an inquirer that the article is authenticateable and/or trackable or permit ready access to databases, to verify product security and would prove cumbersome to an inquirer and, as such unacceptable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,930 for “Methods and Marking Digital Compact Discs As A Means To Determine its authenticity” utilizes near infrared flurophores; but, requires a protective cover layer which would not only be unacceptably detrimental to the aesthetics of the product but might, as well, be unusable for items of jewelry and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,180 for “Security Label and Method of Use” also only provides an obtrusive and unacceptable label that must be attached to the product; while U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,112 requires special buttons with a complex and relatively expensive sewing machine to attach the buttons with a relatively complex stitch. In addition none of available systems serve to establish communication between the party seeking authentication of the BRAND and the BRAND SOURCE for purposes of marketing the same and other products and/or services of the BRAND SOURCE and otherwise provide to the BRAND SOURCE information pertinent to the whereabouts and product and other interests, and biographic information, of the party making the inquiry.